Velocipede



Dec. 12, 1950 c D T ETAL 2,533,728

VELOCIPEDE Filed Nov. 16, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS CU RT R. GEDAT PAUL SCHIMM'E V SAMUEL LAWRENCE A I'KINS ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1950 c. R. GEDAT ETAL VELOCIPEDE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 16, 1946 DAT MEL BY SAMUEL LAWRENCE ATKlNS Dec. 12, 1950 c. R. GEDAT ETAL VELOCIPEDE s Sheets- Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 16, 1946 m M I INVENTORS CURT R. GEDAT PAUL SCHIMMEL BY5AMUEL LAWRENCE ATKiNS ATTOR N EY Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VELOCIPEDE Curt R. Gedat; Middletown, Paul Schimmel, Bronx; and. Samuel Lawrence Atkins, New

AbplioationNoveinber 16, 1946, Serial No. 710,360

fi'Claim's. I 1

This invention relates to veloci'pedes;

A primary object of the invention is to enable a velocipede to he propelled either-by the hands or feet or both, at the option of the rider.

Another object of the invention is to enable the foot oper'ated propulsion mechanism of a velocipede to be effectively disengaged fromthe driving wheel of the vehicle.

A further object is to provide a veloc-ipjede having hand-operated crank propelling mechanism with means for effectively disa'ssoci'ating the hand o'perated propelling mechanism from the driving wheel.

Other objectswillap'pear from a reading of the "following description which is accompanied by a drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevation view of one embodiment of a veloci-pede equipped in accordance with the invention;

'Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3*is a cross-section of the foot-operated propelling mechanism, taken along the line 3-3 or we. '1;

Fig. '4 is a detail of there'lea'se mechanism of Fig. 3 taken along the line 4 4';

Fig. 5 shows in front elevation the details of the hand-operated crank propelling mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of one of the knuckle joints employed to straighten out the handle bars of Fig. 5. Fig. 6 also shows a view taken along the line 6---6 of Fig. "7;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of Fig. 6 taken along the line -l-'!';

Fig. 8 is an exploded view knuckle joint shown inFig. '5;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of'Fig; 9; and

Fig. 11 shows the details of the foot-operated. propelling mechanism and Fig. 12 'the 'details of the hand-operated propelling mechanism of a velooipede which is a slight variation of the showing of Figs. 1 and Z.

Throughout the figures of the .drawingflfthe saine' parts "are represented by the same reference numerals.

Referring to the 'drawinglin'moredetail, Figs, 1 and-2 show a tricycle having a front wheel It,

of the left-hand view of another rear wheels lzfan'd avehic'le supporting'frame having a main tubular bar !=4; The wheels are provided "with the usual wire :braces 59 "fastened to the metalt'rimr-el. The :irame: is divided into two hr'anc'hes :15, liat thev rear,. and-these branches=supportithezaxleJ6rforiathezrearxwheels i2. Wheels l2 are, ofcourse, rotatable relative to" Mounted on the frame at anoint the axle l6. intermediate itsends is the seat [1.

The frame is providedat its front end with a fork is which is movable relative to a hollow cylindrical column 19, in turn, rigidly secured to the tubular bar It. The front wheel i101 is mounted on a hollow hub which is held in place at the lower end of fork "l8, asshown in detail in Fig. 3. Through the interior-of hollowv huh '29 is a rotatable axle 5 lfastened at hoth ends to the foot pedals 52' through links 53"as described in more detaillater. A m nd-guardfor'th'e front'wheel is represented'by fl. Extend ing upwards from hollow cylindrical column 1 9' is a rigid bar or post 22.

The veloc'ipede is provided at its front end:

with both hand-operated and foot-operated crank propelling mechanism either one of which may be disengaged'irom the front driving wheel-by suitable release mechanism. For driving the vehicle, there is provided an endless-chain 23, sometimes referred to as a sprocket chain, which loops over sprocket wheels "24 and 25at opposite ends 0f the chain. These sprocket wheels eachhave spaced teeth-25 which enter the links ofthe chain '23 for driving the same.

Sprocket wheel 25 is located at the top'iorward end of post 22 and within a housing 2?.

Welded to post 22 is astationary gear hub The hand-operated mechanism includesapair' of hand grips 233 33, Lpreferably of hard ruhber or other suitable material, joined through knuckle-joints at, .3 5 to handle bar rods -35, in "turn, ijioinedthroug'h other knuckle joints 3'6,- 36 to the rotatable shaft'fill The rotatable shaft 3| may :be operatively-v linked to the chain 23 for'driving the same, or; disassociated therefrom at the will of the rider; by means of release pin mechanism 3$. Pin 40 serves to link the stationary hub 32 with the" rotatable shaft 3-! through a hole in shaft 3| registering with the;bottomof'therpin; 'Raising pin 49 will effectively disassociate the stationaryhub Bilirom rotatable shaft 131. l-Ihe release rmechanismftlly-will rbe described ;in :-.dc.tail

The sprocket -whee'l 25 is The knuckle joints 34, 34 and 36, 36 enable the hand grips 33, 33 to extend in the same straight line with the rods 35, 35 and the rotatable shaft 3| toth'ereby form a straight handle bar, whenever it is desired not to use the hand-operated propelling mechanism to drive the velocipede. Figs. 2 and 5 that the right knuckle joint 33 is reversedlypositioned relative to the left knuckle joint 36, and that the right knuckle joint 34 is similarly reversedly positioned with respect to the left knuckle joint 34. Actually, all knuckle joints 34 and 36 are of similar construction.

Each knuckle joint comprises a male membe 4| and a female member 42. Note Fig. 8. The male member 4| is provided with a pair of spaced holes 43 and 44. The female member 42 is a fork having a pair of holes 43 and 44 in each branch thereof. Each branch of the fork 42 also is provided with a protuberance having another hole 45. Holes 43, 43' and 45 are designed to permit a cotter pin 49 to pass therethrough. Holes 44 and 44, however, are pivot pin holes to permit a pivot pin 50 to pass therethrough, as seen in Figs. 6 and '7. The cotter pin 49 is prevented from being lost by means of a keeper chain 48.

When it is desired that the male and female members of the knuckle joint be arranged on the same straight line, as shown in Fig. 5 (which is the hand rest or handle bar position) members 4| and 42 are swiveled to be in the position generally shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, and the cotter pin 49 is inserted into holes 43 and 43' which align with each other for this position.

When it is desired that the male and female members of the knuckle joint be arranged at right angles to each other, as shown in Fig. 2 (which is the position for hand propulsion of thevelocipede) the cotter pin 49 is removed from the holes 43 and 43', and the member 4| and 42 are swiveled to be perpendicular to each other. The cotter pin 49 is then inserted into the proper holes 43 and 45 which will receive this pin for this right angle position.

The foot-operated propulsion mechanism comprises a pair of foot pedals 52, 52 on opposite sides of the fork l8 and front wheel l0. These foot pedals are fixedly joined by means of rods or links 53 to a rotatable axle or shaft 54, coaxially positioned relative to and within the hollow hub 20. Note Fig. 3. The axle 54 is mounted at both ends within ball bearings 55. The hollow hub 25 to which the front wheel B is connected is mounted on the outside race of the ball bearings 55 by means of a shoulder 56 and is welded to sprocket wheel 24.

In order to operatively link the wheel hub 25] to the foot-pedal driver axle 54, there is provided on hub 20 on both sides of the wheel ii) suitable release mechanism. The release mechanism comprises a pin 49 and a surrounding spring 39 both located within a hollow housing 38 rigidly secured to the hub 20. The spring 39 is compressed within the housing 33 and exerts pressure against a cross-wise member 31 rigidly secured to pin 45. The housing 38 is provided with a slot 58 (note Fig. 4) whose dimensions are sufficient to permit the cross-wise membertl of the pin 40 to pass 'therethrough when turned to be in alignment therewith. Thus, if the cross-wise member 31 is located within the housin 38 at an angle'to It should be noted from an inspection of slot 58, the lower end of pin 40 will extend into a hole 51 in the axle 54 and cause the hub 25 to be linked to axle 54, as a result of which the front wheel l0 will rotate with movement of the I foot pedals. This condition is shown by the release mechanism appearing on left side of the front wheel H5 in Fig. 3. If, however, the pin 40 is turned by hand so that the cross-wise member 31 is in alignment with the slot 58, the spring 39 will force the member 31 through the slot 53 and raise the lower end of the pin 49 out of hole 51 in the axle 54. In this position, the front wheel ill will be .disengaged from the foot-operated pedals. This condition is shown by the release mechanism appearing on the right side of the front wheel ID in Fig. 3. In the foregoing discussion, it is assumed that both release mechanisms will be similarly positioned to effect either engagement or disengagement of the front wheel with the foot pedals. Two release mechanisms are shown in Fig. 3 in the interest of symmetry (balance) and in order to divide the load equally on both sides of the wheel.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the housing 38 taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3 with the cross-wise member 31 on the outside of the housing 38 and turned at right angles to the slot 58. The dotted lines within the slot 58 shows the position of the cross-wise member 31 when it is in alignment with the slot 58.

Figs. 9 and 10 show different views of another embodimentof a velocipede, with the seat l1 positioned directly on the frame l4 to provide a low center of gravity. As in the embodiment of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the Velocipde is equipped with a front wheel l0, rear wheels l2, and hand-operated and foot-operated mechanism. The same features described in connection with Figs. 1 to 8 are utilized in Figs. 9 and 10. The hand crank'and foot crank are both equipped with release mechanism for effectively disassociating the propelling mechanism from the front drive wheel, at the option of the rider, in the same manner described above. The hand crank of the velocipede of Figs. 9 and 10 is provided with knuckle joints in the same manner as the tricycle of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 11 shows the essential details of the footoperated propelling mechanism and Fig. 12 shows the details of the hand-operated propelling mechanism of'a modification of Figs. '1 and 2. since this modification is very much like the velocipede of Figs. 1 and 2 except for the use of a V-shaped drive belt and pulley mechanism instead of thechain and sprocket mechanism of Figs. 1 and 2, only the essential details have been shown in Figs. 11 and 12. The same parts throughout the figures of the drawing have been given the same reference numerals while equivalent parts aredesignated by the same reference numerals but with a prime designation.

In Fig. 11, only the upper part of the wheel H] has been shown with its rim 6! and the spokes 9. This wheel is mounted on a hollow hub 26. Only a single release mechanism 49 has been shown mounted within a housing 38' for enabling the foot-operated mechanism to drive the wheel. This release mechanism is very similar to those previously described except that the housin 33' completely encloses the coiled spring, which is a preferred arrangement and may also be used as an alternative in the velocipedes of Figs. 1, 2 and 8 for the release mechanisms shown.

Secured to the hub 29 of Fig. 11 is another release mechanism designat d. 60 for enabling the crank propulsion.

hub 29' to be linked to a pulley 69 which in turn, is driven by a V-shaped leather belt 52 (shown in Fig. 12) from the hand-operated mechanism. In the positions of the pins 48' and ti) shown in Fig. 11, the wheel 39 is operatively linked both to the pulley 69 and to the foot pedal rods 53. If the release mechanism 49 is pulled up in the direction of the arrow, then the wheel [0 is effectivel disengaged from the foot-operated pedals.

The hand-operated mechanism for use with Fig. 11 is shown in Fig. 12. This arrangement of Fig. 12 is very much like that of Fig. 5 except for the use of the pulley 59 and the endless V- shaped belt 52 which is designed to frictionally I engage the pulleys 59 and $9. The cross-section of the belt 52 is shown at If the release mechanism 40 of Fig. 12 is in the proper position, the movement of the hand-operated crank will drive the pulley 59 which, in turn, will impart movement to the V-shaped belt 52. Since the belt 62 is looped around pulley 69 (Fig. 11), the pulley 59 will turn, and if the release mechanism 86 is in the position shown, the wheel it) will rotate.

If desired, the knuckle joints 34 and 3t of Fig. 5 may be so arranged that the hand rest or handle bar position (in the condition where hand propulsion is temporarily not utilized) enables both hand grips to be inclined upwards at an acute angle to the shaft 31.

The velooipede of the present invention enables the vehicle to operate either from the hands or feet of the rider, or from both hands and feet, at the option of the rider. The rider can thus exercise all or some of his limbs and rest his hands or feet whenever they become tired.

What is claimed is:

1. A velocipede including a front wheel and having both hand-operated and foot operated propulsion means, said foot-operated propulsion means being mounted on the front wheel axle, a hollow hub surrounding said axle and affixed to said front wheel, and release mechanism mounted on said hub and having means for linking said hub and axle together at the option of the rider, thereby enabling said foot-operated propulsion means to become inoperative to propel said velocipede without affecting said hand-operated propulsion means.

2. A tricycle having foot-operated crank propulsion means mounted on the front axle, a hollow hub surrounding said axle affixed to the front wheel of said tricycle, spring actuated pin release mechanism mounted on said hub, said release mechanism having a pin adapted to enter a hole in said axle at the option of the rider for linking said axle and hub together, thereby enabling said propulsion means to become inoperative to propel said tricycle,

. front 3. In a velocipede, a front wheel mounted on a hollow hub, an axle free to move within said hub, foot pedals for rotating said axle, and pin engaging means for linking together said hub and axle, said pin engaging means being mounted on said hub, said pin engaging means including a spring exerting pressure on said pin in a direction tending to release the pin from engaging said axle.

4. A velocipede having a front wheel, handoperated and foot-operated propulsion means for said front wheel, said hand-operated means including an endless V-shaped belt looped around a pair of pulleys arranged at both end of said belt, and individual release mechanisms associated with both of said pulleys, one of said release mechanisms serving to immobilize the hand-operated propulsion means, and the other of said release mechanisms serving to operatively. associate said front wheel with the foot-operated propulsion means.

5. A velocipede having a front wheel adapted to be propelled over the ground, hand-operated and foot-operated propulsion means for said wheel, said hand-operated propulsion means including hand pedals, a first drive Wheel mounted on the axle of said front wheel, a second drive wheel mounted above said first drive wheel and adjacent said hand pedals, and an endless chain or belt linking said drive wheels together,

release mechanism for disabling said hand pedals from driving said second drive wheel, and release mechanism for disassociating said front wheel from said axle, whereby both propulsion means can be used simultaneously, at the option of the user.

6. In a velocipede, crank propulsion means including a rotatable shaft, a housing for said shaft linked to a wheel for driving said velocipede, a

sprocket wheel linked to said shaft, an endless chain looped around said sprocket wheel for rotating said shaft, and release mechanism mounted on said housing for linking said shaft and housing together, said release mechanism including a pin and spiral spring exerting pressure on said pin in the direction of its length.

CURT R. GEDAT.

PAUL SCHIMMEL.

SAMUEL LAWRENCE ATKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 201,179 Higley Mar. 12, 1878 210,669 Coates Dec. 10, 1878 1,810,715 Larson et a1. June 16, 1931 2,390,719 Kurth Dec. 11, 1945 

